Effects of feeding earthworm or vermicompost on early life performance of broilers under challenging dietary conditions

ABSTRACT: We investigated if feeding earthworms (EW) or vermicompost (VC) to broilers improves performance and aids in coping with dietary challenges from a soluble non-starch polysaccharide (NSP)-enriched diet (negative control diet; CON-). Newly-hatched male Cobb-500 birds (N = 480) were fed eithe...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gürbüz Daş, John M. Brameld, Tim Parr, Mohammad M. Seyedalmoosavi, Solvig Görs, Cornelia C. Metges
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Poultry Science
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579124009209
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846123491056680960
author Gürbüz Daş
John M. Brameld
Tim Parr
Mohammad M. Seyedalmoosavi
Solvig Görs
Cornelia C. Metges
author_facet Gürbüz Daş
John M. Brameld
Tim Parr
Mohammad M. Seyedalmoosavi
Solvig Görs
Cornelia C. Metges
author_sort Gürbüz Daş
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT: We investigated if feeding earthworms (EW) or vermicompost (VC) to broilers improves performance and aids in coping with dietary challenges from a soluble non-starch polysaccharide (NSP)-enriched diet (negative control diet; CON-). Newly-hatched male Cobb-500 birds (N = 480) were fed either a positive (+) control diet (CON+, n = 240) or CON+ supplemented with either 1% EW (CON+EW; n = 120) or 1% VC in DM (CON+VC; n = 120) for 8 d (Period 1; P1). At the end of P1, blood and intestinal samples were taken from half the birds in each group. Half of remaining birds on CON+ stayed on CON+ for further 8 d (P2; d9–16) or switched to CON-. Birds on CON+EW and CON+VC in P1 were switched to CON- in P2 (CON-EW and CON-VC, respectively). The CON+VC improved (P < 0.05) BW and ADG in P1 through an elevated feed intake (FI) (P < 0.05) with no effect on FCR. CON+EW did not differ from the CON+ in terms of growth and FI in P1. In P2 CON- did not affect growth or DMI relative to CON+. In the end of P2, 10% of CON+ birds had pasty vent (PV). CON- increased incidence of PV and CON-VC aggravated this effect (P < 0.05), whereas CON-EW did not differ from CON+. CON- diet reduced proportion of 16S rDNA in colon digesta (P = 0.049), while CON-EW and CON-VC did not differ from CON+. Compared to CON-, CON-EW tended to decrease (P = 0.072) incidence of PV. Ceca were heavier (P < 0.05) in CON-EW than in CON+ fed birds. In conclusion, the challenge diet induced PV and reduced bacterial 16S rDNA in colon digesta, likely due to soluble NSP-induced anti-nutritive effects. VC supplementation enhanced early growth by increasing feed intake. Provision of EW did not impact performance but decreased incidence of PV and increased cecal size, suggesting that potential inoculation with beneficial microorganisms may counteract NSP effects.
format Article
id doaj-art-8593c7265f644b7ab63b2b6a3cb442f8
institution Kabale University
issn 0032-5791
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Poultry Science
spelling doaj-art-8593c7265f644b7ab63b2b6a3cb442f82024-12-14T06:28:57ZengElsevierPoultry Science0032-57912024-12-0110312104341Effects of feeding earthworm or vermicompost on early life performance of broilers under challenging dietary conditionsGürbüz Daş0John M. Brameld1Tim Parr2Mohammad M. Seyedalmoosavi3Solvig Görs4Cornelia C. Metges5Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, 18196, Germany; Corresponding author:School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UKSchool of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UKResearch Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, 18196, GermanyResearch Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, 18196, GermanyResearch Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, 18196, GermanyABSTRACT: We investigated if feeding earthworms (EW) or vermicompost (VC) to broilers improves performance and aids in coping with dietary challenges from a soluble non-starch polysaccharide (NSP)-enriched diet (negative control diet; CON-). Newly-hatched male Cobb-500 birds (N = 480) were fed either a positive (+) control diet (CON+, n = 240) or CON+ supplemented with either 1% EW (CON+EW; n = 120) or 1% VC in DM (CON+VC; n = 120) for 8 d (Period 1; P1). At the end of P1, blood and intestinal samples were taken from half the birds in each group. Half of remaining birds on CON+ stayed on CON+ for further 8 d (P2; d9–16) or switched to CON-. Birds on CON+EW and CON+VC in P1 were switched to CON- in P2 (CON-EW and CON-VC, respectively). The CON+VC improved (P < 0.05) BW and ADG in P1 through an elevated feed intake (FI) (P < 0.05) with no effect on FCR. CON+EW did not differ from the CON+ in terms of growth and FI in P1. In P2 CON- did not affect growth or DMI relative to CON+. In the end of P2, 10% of CON+ birds had pasty vent (PV). CON- increased incidence of PV and CON-VC aggravated this effect (P < 0.05), whereas CON-EW did not differ from CON+. CON- diet reduced proportion of 16S rDNA in colon digesta (P = 0.049), while CON-EW and CON-VC did not differ from CON+. Compared to CON-, CON-EW tended to decrease (P = 0.072) incidence of PV. Ceca were heavier (P < 0.05) in CON-EW than in CON+ fed birds. In conclusion, the challenge diet induced PV and reduced bacterial 16S rDNA in colon digesta, likely due to soluble NSP-induced anti-nutritive effects. VC supplementation enhanced early growth by increasing feed intake. Provision of EW did not impact performance but decreased incidence of PV and increased cecal size, suggesting that potential inoculation with beneficial microorganisms may counteract NSP effects.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579124009209challenge dietbacterial DNAfecal host DNAnon-starch polysaccharidepasty vent
spellingShingle Gürbüz Daş
John M. Brameld
Tim Parr
Mohammad M. Seyedalmoosavi
Solvig Görs
Cornelia C. Metges
Effects of feeding earthworm or vermicompost on early life performance of broilers under challenging dietary conditions
Poultry Science
challenge diet
bacterial DNA
fecal host DNA
non-starch polysaccharide
pasty vent
title Effects of feeding earthworm or vermicompost on early life performance of broilers under challenging dietary conditions
title_full Effects of feeding earthworm or vermicompost on early life performance of broilers under challenging dietary conditions
title_fullStr Effects of feeding earthworm or vermicompost on early life performance of broilers under challenging dietary conditions
title_full_unstemmed Effects of feeding earthworm or vermicompost on early life performance of broilers under challenging dietary conditions
title_short Effects of feeding earthworm or vermicompost on early life performance of broilers under challenging dietary conditions
title_sort effects of feeding earthworm or vermicompost on early life performance of broilers under challenging dietary conditions
topic challenge diet
bacterial DNA
fecal host DNA
non-starch polysaccharide
pasty vent
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579124009209
work_keys_str_mv AT gurbuzdas effectsoffeedingearthwormorvermicompostonearlylifeperformanceofbroilersunderchallengingdietaryconditions
AT johnmbrameld effectsoffeedingearthwormorvermicompostonearlylifeperformanceofbroilersunderchallengingdietaryconditions
AT timparr effectsoffeedingearthwormorvermicompostonearlylifeperformanceofbroilersunderchallengingdietaryconditions
AT mohammadmseyedalmoosavi effectsoffeedingearthwormorvermicompostonearlylifeperformanceofbroilersunderchallengingdietaryconditions
AT solviggors effectsoffeedingearthwormorvermicompostonearlylifeperformanceofbroilersunderchallengingdietaryconditions
AT corneliacmetges effectsoffeedingearthwormorvermicompostonearlylifeperformanceofbroilersunderchallengingdietaryconditions